Waymo Pioneers Driverless Rides on Highways, Raising Safety Concerns

On November 12, 2025, Waymo, the self-driving car company owned by Alphabet, announced it will expand its driverless taxi service to highways in three major U.S. cities: Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco. This move represents a significant milestone for the company as it aims to encourage the mass adoption of autonomous vehicles.

Waymo's vehicles will now be able to ferry passengers to more destinations, including San Jose International Airport, at speeds up to 65 miles per hour. However, this increase in speed also raises concerns about rider safety, as the risk of deadly collisions is higher on highways.

Waymo's co-CEO, Tekedra Mawakana, acknowledged this challenge, stating that the company does not think in terms of "how many [incidents] are allowable" and that the focus is on ensuring the "bar on safety" is high enough. She also expressed her belief that "society will" accept fatal incidents involving Waymo's robotaxis, a controversial stance that highlights the complex ethical considerations surrounding autonomous vehicles.

The expansion to highways marks a profound engineering feat for Waymo, which has been testing on these high-speed roads since last year. The company, which launched its paid driverless taxi services in 2020, now operates more than 250,000 rides per week across its five U.S. markets, primarily using Jaguar Land Rover's electric I-Pace vehicles equipped with Waymo's proprietary sensors and computing system.